The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for video conferencing and, more particularly, to systems and methods that implement packet-switched video conferencing initiated by circuit-switched telephone calls.
For years videophones have been viewed as a futuristic technological endeavor. Even with the advent of high-speed Internet access, the promise of reliable, high quality videophones has not been realized. Conventional video conferencing has a number of disadvantages. Traditional video conferencing requires specialized, costly equipment for each participant in the conference. Significant bandwidth, additionally, must be dedicated to the video conferencing session, thus, requiring at least IDSN or better service. Also, the specialized equipment used is costly and, thus, prohibitive for use by the general public, and generally involves large video conferencing units that must be located in specially designated areas.
Internet video conferencing has alleviated some of the problems attendant with traditional video conferencing, including the use of desktop computers equipped with video cameras and audio microphones instead of large, expensive, and specialized video conferencing equipment. The quality of video and audio in conventional Internet video conferencing, however, has been found to be relatively poor. Additionally, other problems exist in Internet video conferencing, including difficulties in reaching others involved in the conferencing, requiring knowledge of the other party""s IP address or the location of a directory service on which the other party is listed.
Therefore, there exists a need for systems and methods that permit the implementation of Internet video conferencing with high video and audio quality, and without requiring knowledge, by conference participants, of the other party""s IP addresses, or the location of the directory services on which the other parties are listed.
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention address this and other needs by enabling video conferencing using a circuit-switched telephone connection for audio, and a high-speed DSL connection for transmitting packetized video between parties to the conference. At the time a call is placed between a calling party number and a called party number in a circuit-switched network, a server references each of the party numbers to network addresses in a packet-switched network. The server sends these network addresses to respective nodes in the packet-switched network associated with each of the called and calling parties. The respective nodes may use the received network addresses to transfer packetized video, captured contemporaneously with audio transmitted via a circuit-switched network, between each of the parties to the circuit-switched telephone connection. With the packetized video transmitted at a DSL rate, and the audio data transmitted at conventional circuit-switched rates, high quality video conferencing may be obtained. Furthermore, in other embodiments of the invention, the respective nodes may use the received network addresses to transfer both packetized audio and video between each of the parties to the circuit-switched telephone connection.
In accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, a method of video conferencing includes establishing a circuit-switched connection between a first party and a second party; and establishing, responsive to the establishment of the circuit-switched connection, a packet-switched connection between the first party and the second party to transmit video.
In another implementation consistent with the present invention, a method of setting up a video conference includes receiving a calling party number and a called party number used for establishing a connection in a circuit-switched network; associating a first network address in a packet-switched network with the calling party number; associating a second network address in the packet-switched network with the called party number; sending a first message containing the second network address to the first network address via the packet-switched network; and sending a second message containing the first network address to the second network address via the packet-switched network.
In yet another implementation consistent with the present invention, a method of video conferencing includes establishing a circuit-switched connection between a calling party number and a called party number; associating first and second network addresses in a packet-switched network with each of the called party and calling party numbers; transmitting audio data via the circuit-switched connection; and transmitting packetized video between the first and second network addresses responsive to establishment of the circuit-switched connection.
In a further implementation consistent with the present invention, a method of video conferencing includes capturing audio contemporaneously with video at a first location; capturing audio contemporaneously with video at a second location; transmitting the captured audio between the first location and the second location via a circuit-switched network; and transmitting the captured video between the first and second location via a packet-switched network.